Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Mississippi?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Mississippi with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 22 cities in the Magnolia State with over 6,000 residents.
What city has the highest murder rate in Mississippi? The city with the highest murder rate in Mississippi is Laurel with 24 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Mississippi with highest number of murders? The city in Mississippi with the highest number of murders is Hattiesburg with 6 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Mississippi ranked. There were ‘only’ 22 cities in Mississippi where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 14 places had no murder.
24 per 100k · #1 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Jones County, Mississippi
Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 18,548. It is located northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county courthouse. Laurel has the second county courthouse, as there are two judicial districts in Jones County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
22 per 100k · #2 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Prentiss County, Mississippi
Booneville is the county seat of Prentiss County, Mississippi. Booneville was incorporated in 1861 and named after R.H. Boone, a relative of Daniel Boone. The population was 8,743 at the 2010 census. It is one of 21 certified Mississippi retirement cities.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
21 per 100k · #3 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Clay County, Mississippi
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
20 per 100k · #4 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Warren County, Mississippi
Vicksburg is the only city and county seat of Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is located 234 miles northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and 40 miles due west of Jackson, the state capital. It is located on the Mississippi River across from the state of Louisiana.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
20 per 100k · #5 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Bolivar County, Mississippi
Cleveland is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 United States Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
17 per 100k · #6 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Pearl River County, Mississippi
Picayune is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi. The population was 10,878 at the 2010 census. Picayune was added to the New Orleans metropolitan area in 2014, however it remains its own town respectively. The city is located approximately 45 miles from New Orleans, Hattiesburg and Gulfport-Biloxi. The Stennis Space Center is 10 miles away.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
16 per 100k · #7 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Madison County, Mississippi
Ridgeland is a city in Madison County, Mississippi. The population was 24,047 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
15 per 100k · #8 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Rankin County, Mississippi
Brandon is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi. The population was 21,705 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Rankin County. Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area and located east of the state capital.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
15 per 100k · #9 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Attala County, Mississippi
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14 per 100k · #10 highest murder rate in Mississippi
Located in
Panola County, Mississippi
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Mississippi’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Mississippi’s murders happen
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Mississippi
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Mississippi for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 22 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Laurel. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Mississippi. We updated the list for 2026.
The full plate
Murder Rates By City In Mississippi
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurel | 16,922 | 4 | 24 |
| 2 | Booneville | 9,075 | 2 | 22 |
| 3 | West Point | 9,665 | 2 | 21 |
| 4 | Vicksburg | 19,785 | 4 | 20 |
| 5 | Cleveland | 10,165 | 2 | 20 |
| 6 | Picayune | 11,860 | 2 | 17 |
| 7 | Ridgeland | 24,407 | 4 | 16 |
| 8 | Brandon | 25,905 | 4 | 15 |
| 9 | Kosciusko | 6,765 | 1 | 15 |
| 10 | Batesville | 7,272 | 1 | 14 |
| 11 | Hattiesburg | 48,307 | 6 | 12 |
| 12 | Starkville | 25,344 | 3 | 12 |
| 13 | Hernando | 18,579 | 2 | 11 |
| 14 | Tupelo | 37,593 | 4 | 11 |
| 15 | Bay St. Louis | 10,901 | 1 | 9 |
| 16 | Petal | 11,505 | 1 | 9 |
| 17 | Byram | 12,526 | 1 | 8 |
| 18 | Madison | 28,064 | 2 | 7 |
| 19 | Pascagoula | 21,455 | 1 | 5 |
| 20 | Horn Lake | 26,378 | 1 | 4 |
| 21 | Oxford | 27,529 | 1 | 4 |
| 22 | Southaven | 57,537 | 1 | 2 |
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report. 22 Mississippi cities that reported a murder.
Summary
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Mississippi For 2026
If you’re looking at the places in Mississippi with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Mississippi are Laurel, Booneville, West Point, Vicksburg, Cleveland, Picayune, Ridgeland, Brandon, Kosciusko, and Batesville.
